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The negative effects of alcohol are more than known to everyone, not only because the media have made them known, but also because we have lived them or they have told us about them.

However, alcohol, one of the most widely consumed legal drugs in the world, also has positive effects. In this case, a new study seems to have found that, when people drink a little, their pronunciation in other languages can improve markedly.

# Speaking another language could be easier with a little alcohol
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The new study on alcohol was carried out by a research team from several European universities. To do the experiment, they took 50 native German speakers who were studying at a Dutch university, where they have been practicing the language.

The students were divided randomly, causing some to drink water, while others drank approximately 500 milliliters of beer with a 5% alcohol content. The amount of beer served to them varied according to the weight of the student, although not too much.

After having finished with their respective drinks, the students spoke with one of the researchers, while they were recorded. Later, the recording was evaluated by native speakers of the Dutch language. The study revealed that those lucky who drank beer obtained higher scores from the native speakers of the language, in the aspect related to pronunciation.

Inge Kersbergen - one of the researchers involved, from the University of Liverpool, in the United Kingdom - stated that the study "demonstrates that alcohol consumption can have beneficial effects on the pronunciation of a foreign language in people who recently learned it". However, the study was carried out in a small sample, so it is important not to make too many generalizations about it, although the results could indicate a possible line for further studies.

Jessica Werthmann - of the University of Maastricht, in the south of Holland - pointed out that the explanation could be a possible mechanism by which alcohol reduces anxiety, making pronunciation more friendly to native speakers. But Werthmann also believes that there is still more research to be done on the subject for the effect to be proven.

# Wait! Before going out to celebrate with tequila ...
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Fritz Renner - one of the researchers, also from the University of Maastricht - clarifies that in the study "they consumed a low dose of alcohol". Renner believes that "higher levels of consumption may not have beneficial effects."

And Renner is probably right: if you drink like there is not a tomorrow, probably your pronunciation, instead of being more acceptable, will be unintelligible, although it will be much funnier.

The effect in other languages ??should also be evaluated. The Dutch language is a very particular language that needs a lot of strength to be spoken, like German. The other languages ??are quite different to extrapolate the effects without testing.

In the Spanish language, which is one of the fastest in the world, alcohol could have a completely different effect. Just try to imagine a group of Germans trying to speak Spanish after having taken more than half a liter of beer and they will understand what I mean.

The other doubt that remains for me about the study is whether, when the researchers say that they "consumed alcohol", they refer only to the people in the test or if they were also "improving their pronunciation" with a pint of beer ...

Do you really believe that the effects of alcohol would allow you to speak more fluently another language? Does the detente that alcohol generates us be responsible for this curious effect?